A Good Man
by SiriusMarauderFan
Summary: Draco struggles to reinvent himself after the war. Luckily he has Harry on his side. One shot.


**Author's Note:** So much thanks to my team for helping me plot and betaing!

Written for…

Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition. _Team/Position:_ Falmouth Falcons, Seeker. _Task:_ Write about a romance that's doomed to fail.

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**A Good Man**

_1,406 words_

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Draco knows he is done for on the night he dreams of Harry Potter's eyes.

Admittedly, this was not the first dream he'd had of Potter. There had been many others, over their school years, dreams where Harry had been sorted into Slytherin and they'd become friends. Most often, dreams in which they fought, sometimes more than they had in real life.

But things are different now. Draco had spent two months sitting next to Harry in a Ministry courtroom, exchanging hopeful glances, and now his dream had changed too. There was something other than malice in dream-Harry's eyes.

He tries to ignore the feelings that his new dream brings out in him. Draco tells himself that his father wouldn't approve, but with the knowledge that he most likely won't see Lucius again, the threat doesn't carry the same weight as it did when he first started suspecting he might be gay. Still, he pushes away the feelings as he walks through the Ministry, searching out the object of his embarrassing, unwanted affection.

Harry had promised Draco on the first day of the trial that, should he succeed in keeping Draco and Narcissa out of Azkaban, he would help them find employment. True to his word, he'd seen that Narcissa was set up with a job in the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes, making good use of her natural talent with charms. Draco hadn't expected any more help from the hero, but nevertheless found himself being summoned to Level Seven of the Ministry on Harry's orders.

Draco's eyes land on Harry the moment he steps off the lift. He's leaning against a wall that sports a Chudley Cannons poster. Harry's face lights up when their eyes meet, and Draco pretends he doesn't feel his heart flutter at the mere sight of him.

"Harry," he greets with a nod of the head. They upgraded to a first-name basis around the time Harry offered to decided to defend them, but the name still felt foreign on Draco's tongue after so many years.

"Draco. Perfect timing, your interview is in five minutes. Follow me."

"Interview for what? You didn't say in your letter." Draco falls into step beside Harry as he's led down a corridor cluttered with stacks of paperwork and crumpled papers. The walls are lined with posters of various Quidditch players and teams from the British and Irish League. Draco can't imagine himself working in such a chaotic environment, but he supposes it's a step up from sitting in the bare new flat alone all day while his mother works.

"I've gotten you an interview with Aja Magnus, she's the head of the department. I told her you're familiar with Quidditch rules and regulations, and you're a talented flyer. Hopefully she can find a place for you in the League."

Draco doesn't know what to say. He's certain no one has ever called him talented before. "Thank you. I'm sure you must've had to call in a few favors to make this happen."

Harry shrugs. "Much as I hate to admit it, notability has its perks on occasion."

After a series of winding corridors, they stop at a door labelled A. Magnus. Harry pats Draco's shoulder and then steps back. "Good luck. I'm wanted back on Level Two, but come see me when you're done. They know to expect you." He flashes him a smile before disappearing around a corner.

Draco takes a moment to compose himself, trying to forget the brief moment of contact. His shoulder still tingles, probably just his imagination, but he rubs the spot until pain overwhelms the tingling. He takes a deep breath and knocks on the door, hoping that Harry's effort isn't in vain.

Ms. Magnus sits behind a large wooden desk and glares at Draco the moment he opens the door.

"Sit," she commands, and rummages through the papers on her desk to find a notepad.

Draco sits quickly, watching her every move, unsure of what to say. "I'm Draco Mal-"

"I know who you are, and _what_ you are, Mr. Malfoy." Draco anxiously fiddles with the cuff of his left sleeve. "Let me make myself perfectly clear, I agreed to this interview for Harry Potter's sake. If it's sympathy you're looking for, you won't find it here. And I don't give out jobs for free. You have five minutes to convince me why I should hire you."

Draco pales. He's never had to convince anyone of anything. Everything had always been handed to him since he was a child. He grips his seat tightly and searches for some way to make himself sound better, but finds none.

"You shouldn't," he answers truthfully. "I'm not a good person, I doubt I'm even qualified. But I'm desperate, and I'll work hard at whatever you need me to do."

A moment of silence passed between them before she spoke again.

"Is that all?"

"There's not much else I can say that I think would change your mind."

"I'm afraid neither did your plea. I don't think you're well suited for this department, you'll have to look elsewhere. Good day."

Draco heads for the lift in a daze, mentally berating himself along the way. The interview confirms all his fears about how people see him now and he it.

The doors of the lift open slowly and Harry rushes out, almost running straight into Draco.

"Hey! I got Ron to take the first meeting without me. I - wait, aren't you supposed to be doing the interview?"

"It's over."

Harry's face falls. "What?"

"She gave me a chance to talk myself up and I blew it."

"No. I'll talk to her."

"It's over, Harry." Draco goes around him and enters the lift. Harry follows, scowling.

"I made you a promise."

"I'm setting you free from whatever debt you think you owe me, alright?"

"I intend to keep my promise. I have a few more ideas up my sleeve."

"Why would you even help someone like me? After all I've done, you have every right to hate me."

Harry looks down. "I don't hate you, Draco. We've both done things we regret. And I've … as strange as it sounds, I've enjoyed these last couple months getting to know you." He's blushing, Draco realizes with a jolt.

"Do you…" He can't bring himself to finish the question, scared of the answer. He shakes his head. Surely this is another of his dreams, or he's seriously misread the situation. It's absurd to think that Harry Potter fancies him of all people! "You're going to run your reputation if you keep trying to help me."

Harry looks up then, seemingly angry. "I don't care about my reputation, I care about you. I… really do care about you."

Draco blinks. "Define 'care'."

"I've liked you since fourth year. Don't let this go to your head, but you're kind of handsome sometimes."

He wants to laugh, to reach out and embrace Harry like he had in his dream, but all the reasons why he shouldn't play over in Draco's head.

"This is a bad idea."

"Well, I didn't think you felt the same way, or I would've told you sooner."

"No, it's not that."

Harry's eyes light up with excitement. "You do feel the same way?"

"This is all wrong, Harry. We can't think of each other like that."

"...Why not?"

"It's not right. I… I'm not good enough for you. How do you think people are going to react, the Boy-Who-Lived and a Death Eater?" Harry flinches at the title. "We shouldn't even be talking to each other, let alone anything else."

Frustrated, Harry grabs both of Draco's shoulders, keeping him from leaving the lift. Their faces are inches apart and the blond finds it hard to focus suddenly.

"You may care about your reputation or how people see you, but I don't. No one has any right to determine what I do or don't do with my life. We've been through hell and come out on the other side. Don't you think we owe it to ourselves to see where this leads before we shut it down?"

Draco finds himself torn, getting what he wants but worried that it won't last. He thinks of his mother, who is rebuilding her life, giving herself a second chance. Doesn't he deserve that too? Is it really possible for him to find happiness after the things he's done?

"Yes."


End file.
